Article 131 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 131 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل السابع: الحكم
This article of the Regulations defines the certified copy of the judgment, and sets how a final judgment is officially notified and the Bureau informed, while preserving the parties' right to know it is final.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- الصورة المصدقة - المشار إليها في المادة (الثانية والثمانين بعد المائة) من النظام - هي صورة الحكم المختوم عليها بخاتم التصديق المتضمن أن الصورة طبق الأصل، أو التي وقع عليها رئيس الدائرة القضائية - أو مَنْ ينيبه - بمطابقتها لأصلها.
2 - يراعى في وقت تسليم صورة الحكم المصدقة ما ورد في المادة (الثالثة والتسعين بعد المائة) من النظام.
3 - يكون التبليغ بالحكم المكتسب لصفة القطعية رسمياً إذا صدر به كتاب من المحكمة وتَسلّمه من رأت المحكمة إبلاغه.
4 - تبلغ المحكمة الهيئة بالأحكام المكتسبة لصفة القطعية الصادرة في الدعاوى الجزائية العامة، ما لم تر المحكمة خلاف ذلك.
5 - لا يخل ما ورد في هذه المادة بحق المدعي بالحق الخاص والمحكوم عليه بالعلم بصيرورة الحكم نهائياً ومكتسباً لصفة القطعية.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 131 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law deals with the copy of the judgment and notification of it after it becomes final:
- The certified copy: it is the copy referred to in Article 182 of the Law, being the copy of the judgment stamped with the certification seal stating that it is a true copy, or signed by the head of the judicial circuit or whoever he delegates as matching its original.
- Time of delivery: in the time of delivering the certified copy, what is stated in Article 193 of the Law is observed.
- Official notification: notification of a judgment that has become final is official if a letter is issued for it by the court and is received by whoever the court sees fit to notify.
- Informing the Bureau: the court notifies the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution of final judgments issued in public criminal cases, unless the court sees otherwise.
- The right to know: what precedes does not affect the right of the private-right claimant and the convicted person to know that the judgment has become final and acquired finality.
The practical benefit is that whoever needs an official copy of the judgment knows when it counts as certified, and that official notification of finality has a specific form, which is the court's letter. The last paragraph also confirms that the convicted person and the holder of the private right are entitled to know that the judgment has become final. This article itself does not state the time for delivering the copy, but refers it to Article 193 of the Law.
The article follows Article 130 on the draft judgment and its instrument, and precedes Article 132 on parties' requests relating to seized items. If you need to know the effect of a judgment in your case becoming final, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
A criminal judgment was issued in Noura's favor in a private-right case in Riyadh, and she needed a copy of it to submit to another authority. She obtained a copy stamped with the certification seal stating that it is a true copy, so it counts as a certified copy under this article.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 131 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
When is a copy of a criminal judgment certified?
If it is stamped with the certification seal stating that it is a true copy, or signed by the head of the judicial circuit or whoever he delegates as matching its original.
How is a final judgment officially notified?
It is official if a letter is issued for it by the court and is received by whoever the court sees fit to notify.
Is the convicted person entitled to know that the judgment has become final?
Yes. What is stated in the article does not affect the right of the private-right claimant and the convicted person to know that the judgment has become final and acquired finality.
More articles on Criminal Judgments and Nullity of Procedures
- Article 127
This article of the Regulations requires that the report prepared on the court's judgment that an official paper, in whole or in part, is forged, under Article 178 of the Law, be included in the case record.
يضمن المحضر المعد في شأن حكم المحكمة بثبوت تزوير ورقة رسمية (كلها أو بعضها) - وفق ما نصت عليه المادة (الثامنة والسبعون بعد المائة) من النظام - في ضبط الدعوى.
- Article 128
This article of the Regulations requires a judge who is barred from ruling because the judgment would run contrary to his knowledge to record that in the case record and inform his direct superior.
إذا امتنع على القاضي الحكم في قضية لتوجه الحكم فيها بما يخالف علمه؛ فعليه أن يدون ذلك في ضبط الدعوى ويخبر مرجعه المباشر بذلك لاتخاذ ما يلزم نظاماً.
- Article 129
This article of the Regulations regulates the court's deferring decision on the requests of the private-right claimant or the accused under Article 180 of the Law, how they are later heard, and their statement in the judgment.
1- إذا قررت المحكمة إرجاء الفصل في طلبات المدعي بالحق الخاص أو المتهم - استناداً إلى المادة (الثمانين بعد المائة) من النظام - فيضمَّن ذلك مع أسبابه في الحكم الص
- Article 130
This article of the Regulations sets the contents of the draft criminal judgment, the rules on a judge's absence and the accused's attendance at the reading of the judgment, determining the criminal description, and drafting the instrument.
1- يجب أن تحرر مسودة الحكم قبل النطق به، وأن تشتمل على رقم الدعوى، وتاريخها، ونص الحكم، وأسبابه، وأسماء القضاة الذين اشتركوا في إصداره، وتوقيعاتهم مؤرخاً. 2 - إ
- Article 135
This article of the Regulations clarifies that the criminal case in Article 186 of the Law is the public case, and sets when a copy of a previous judgment is certified and the form of the court's certificate of it.
1- الدعوى الجزائية الواردة في المادة (السادسة والثمانين بعد المائة) من النظام هي الدعوى الجزائية العامة. 2 - تعد صورة الحكم التي يثبت بها الحكم السابق في الدعوى
- Article 136
This article of the Regulations refers, where the majority needed for judgment is not available, to Article 162 of the Law of Sharia Procedure, and regulates a judge assigned to complete the circuit's quorum taking part.
1- إذا لم تتوافر الأغلبية اللازمة لإصدار الحكم - بحسب ما نصت عليه المادة (الثامنة) من النظام - فيراعى ما نصت عليه المادة (الثانية والستين بعد المائة) من نظام ال
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.